A TRIP TO SOUTH KOREA PUT ME 118 STORIES IN THE AIR

Recently, my wife and I visited our eldest daughter, Shelley, who we don’t get to see nearly as much as I would like. As a schoolteacher for the Department of Defense, Shelley currently teaches third grade on a base in Seoul, South Korea. This was our first time visiting Shelley in South Korea, and though the trip was brief, it was really amazing!

Shelley lives right in the heart of Seoul, which is home to over 10 million people. The surrounding area, called the Seoul Capital Area, holds more than 24 million citizens — half the country’s population. Our visit fell on Shelley’s spring break, so she had plenty of time to show us around the city. We traveled all over Seoul, checking out museums, national monuments, outdoor shopping areas, and other awesome sites.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was when we attended the grand opening of the Lotte World Tower. At 123 stories (1,823 feet), the Lotte is the tallest building in South Korea and the fifthtallest building in the world. The night before the building’s grand opening, fireworks were hung around the exterior of the building and shot off in an amazing light show we could see from my daughter’s condo on the other side of the city!

Like many tall buildings, the Lotte World Tower has an observation deck, located on the 118th floor. We got to the Lotte bright and early on the morning of the grand opening and were some of the first 20 people to set foot on the observation deck. If you’re uncomfortable with heights, the Lotte World Tower is one of the last places you want to be. The 118th floor also happens to be the highest glass-bottomed observation deck in the world, and when you look down, you’ll realize there’s a busy intersection hundreds of stories beneath your feet.

The diversity of buildings and architecture in Seoul is mind-blowing. Seoul has the fourth
largest metropolitan economy in the world, but as you walk past skyscrapers and urban railways, you’ll find a historical district that hasn’t changed in 600 years. All the houses are built and repaired using traditional techniques that have been passed down through families for generations.

People think of Japan and China’s respective histories going back several thousands of years, but the fact is, Korea’s history stretches back just as far. The National Museum of Korea has artifacts which date to 500 BC, and you spot evidence of Seoul’s long history throughout the city. It’s a unique experience to walk through alleys built in the 15th century one day and take an elevator up to the tallest building in the country the next morning.

Visiting Shelley is always a wonderful experience, and the added bonus of exploring Seoul made the trip that much better, though I could have gone without the 14-hour flight and jet lag. Shelley’s job means she’ll find herself somewhere new eventually, and we are looking forward to visiting her wherever in the world she is. To be honest, though, we have our fingers crossed for Spain or Italy!